"Nojiko, honestly, I think growing oranges is quite nice."
"Nami, be good. Listen to Lord Storm's words, train hard, and study diligently."
"My dream used to be to chart the world's seas, but now I just want to stay home and eat oranges."
"Nami, be good. Study hard."
"Nojiko, since when did 'study hard' come out of your mouth?"
"Nami!"
Nojiko gritted her silver teeth, forcing the words through clenched jaws.
"Don't make me hit you!"
"Pfft—"
Nami stuck out her tongue and made a face at Nojiko.
Before Nojiko could react, she hoisted the small bundle she'd prepared earlier and dashed "thump-thump-thump" to the front door.
"Nojiko! Just wait! I'll become the greatest navigator in the world!"
"Just go already! I can't stand the sight of you right now!"
"Nojiko! Do whatever you want with the money I stole before!"
"I know!"
Nojiko watched as Nami's figure gradually disappeared down the road leading out of Cocoyasi Village.
Only when that tangerine-cat-like shadow vanished completely from sight did the tears welling in Nojiko's eyes finally spill over.
"Nami..."
Meanwhile.
Nami ran out of Cocoyasi Village with seemingly light steps.
Passing by the village head's security office, she waved cheerfully at Akin.
"Nami, setting sail again? The Arlong Pirates are already gone..."
"Akin, sailing is my dream! Stop nagging like an old man."
"Nami! You—"
Before Akin could bristle with anger, Nami had already scampered off like a gust of wind.
The ruins of Arlong Park.
Storm had been waiting here for some time.
Nami came skipping over, her small bundle in hand.
Her movements, paired with those red-rimmed eyes, made her look less like a little tangerine cat and more like a bunny.
Clearly, the pain of parting wasn't felt by Nojiko alone—the little cat burglar was hurting too...
With her reddened eyes, Nami asked with forced cheerfulness.
"Lord White Dragon, where's your dragon?"
Nami remembered vividly.
That day, Storm had arrived riding a dragon, like a legendary hero from myth.
With just a blink of the true White Dragon's eyes.
The evil Arlong's head had been cleanly blown off.
Nami had been utterly captivated by that White Dragon.
The moment her words fell, ripples spread across the ground beneath their feet.
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon then carried them both into the sky.
Cocoyasi Village's island rapidly shrank to a mere speck on the ocean's surface.
"Wow!"
Experiencing "dragon riding" for the first time, Nami was beyond excited.
"Lord White Dragon! This is so much more convenient than sailing!"
"Nami, you'll be responsible for adjusting our flight direction."
Storm handed over both his sea charts and compass to Nami.
"Let's see what you're capable of."
"No problem, Lord White Dragon!"
Nami accepted the maps and compass, answering with solemn determination.
"Where do you want to go now?"
"Do you know of 'Ant Nest Hell'?"
Storm asked.
"My knowledge of that island is limited—I'm not even sure if that's its real name."
"I only know this island is in the East Blue, surrounded by extremely dangerous currents. Once ships enter, it's very difficult to leave."
"Ant Nest Hell? I've never heard of an island by that name."
Nami furrowed her brows as she flipped through the two nautical charts in her hands.
"But I have heard of a few similar islands, though I've never been to any."
Before meeting Storm, Nami had been wandering the East Blue, constantly looking for opportunities to steal money.
But even a genius thief like the Cat Burglar knew there were places she absolutely couldn't go.
Somewhere like the "Ant Nest Hell" Storm just mentioned was clearly off-limits for Nami.
But now they had the Blue-Eyed White Dragon.
Nami's courage had grown considerably.
"Let's check out these islands then," Storm said casually.
"The Blue-Eyed White Dragon flies fast enough. We can afford to search multiple times."
Nami nodded seriously.
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon's speed was incredible.
Yet Nami had mastered its "riding method" after just a short adaptation period.
It must be said—
The Cat Burglar's talent for "mounting" was truly maxed out.
Under Nami's control,
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon darted between multiple islands in the East Blue, searching for that "Ant Nest Hell."
In just one day,
Nami eliminated all wrong answers and brought Storm to the real "Ant Nest Hell."
...
Guided by Nami, the Blue-Eyed White Dragon arrived at an unfamiliar stretch of sea, gradually approaching an island with a bizarre shape.
"Lord White Dragon! That island ahead should be our destination!"
Standing on the dragon's head, an excited Nami pointed at the island ahead and called out loudly.
Storm turned to look at the island.
Its shape was completely different from most ordinary islands.
An ancient, rotting giant tree stood at its center, its coarse brown bark riddled with countless black holes resembling an "ant nest"—enough to make anyone with trypophobia drop dead on sight.
As Storm observed the island ahead, sharp red light flashed in his eyes as he silently activated [Observation Haki].
In his perception, beneath the seemingly peaceful surface of Ant Nest Hell, there hid countless "sounds"—an astonishing number.
"Nami, are you going ashore?"
"Of course! This is adventure!"
Nami was about to nod when she suddenly remembered something, glancing at the Ant Nest Hell on the distant sea.
"Um... there aren't any dangers on this island, right?"
"Not for me."
"Ah? What about for me?"
"Pretty dangerous."
"Then I'm not going!"
Nami shook her head decisively.
She had a very clear understanding of her own strength.
Even with Lord White Dragon nearby to protect her,
Nami didn't want to cause trouble for him—
"There's treasure worth at least 100 million Belly on that island."
"Lord White Dragon, what are we waiting for? Let's go ashore together!"
Storm chuckled.
Nami would always be Nami—a little money-grubber.
Storm took control of the Blue-Eyed White Dragon, steering it toward Ant Nest Hell.
He and Nami stood on the dragon's head, overlooking the island below.
At first glance, the Ant Nest Hell appeared utterly lifeless, devoid of any signs of vitality, as if it were a true hellscape.
"This island looks so creepy..."
Nami gazed down at the island below, a faint sense of dread welling up inside her.
"Could there be monsters hiding inside?"
"There are indeed monsters."
With a thought from Storm, the Blue-Eyed White Dragon let out an earth-shaking Dragon Roar toward the island below.
"ROAR—"
The terrifying roar seemed to act as some kind of signal.
A rustling sound suddenly emerged from within the Ant Nest Hell.
A grotesque monster abruptly appeared before Storm and Nami.
It had the muscular body of a lizard but the head of a rooster, with a pair of fully feathered wings on its back. Its vicious beak pointed skyward as it let out a hoarse screech.
The next moment.
One, two...
Countless monsters surged from every corner of the Ant Nest Hell, forming a massive horde as they collectively stared up at the Blue-Eyed White Dragon in the sky.
"Ah!"
Nami let out a scream.
"There really are monsters! So many of them!"
"Quite ugly."
Storm offered an objective assessment.
"Looks a bit like a Cockatrice."
No sooner had he spoken than a sudden change occurred.
The terrifying Cockatrice-like monsters that had been gathered on the Ant Nest Hell suddenly flapped their wings, taking flight from the island into the sky.
Innumerable Cockatrices converged, their numbers blotting out the sky.
Just as Nami was about to scream again, Storm's voice reached her ears.
"Nami, cover your eyes."
Nami obediently shut her eyes.
The next moment.
BOOM—
An earth-shattering thunderclap erupted.
Followed by a chorus of agonized shrieks.
A peculiar, almost roasted-meat-like smell filled the air.
The monsters' cries went from chaotic and piercing to panicked, until finally, there was nothing but silence.
"Nami, you can open your eyes now."
Storm's voice came again.
Nami complied, opening her eyes to look around.
She immediately noticed that the once overwhelming horde of monsters had now vanished without a trace.
Just like that, it was over?
Nami stared in disbelief at the Ant Nest Hell below.
Scattered across its surface were countless charred, blackened forms.
They roughly retained the shape of Cockatrices but showed no signs of life, with faint wisps of white steam rising from the blackened masses.
Those monsters... they were all really dead...
Nami's throat moved involuntarily.
The White Dragon's power is truly incredible...
Storm and Nami waited in the sky for a while longer before gradually descending.
During their wait, the stench from the Ant Nest Hell had mostly dissipated.
But the air still carried a faint, acrid smell.
"It stinks so bad..."
Nami waved her hand in front of her nose several times.
Yet the treasure was right before them—she wouldn't give up so easily.
The treasure hunt had begun!
Storm joined the search as well.
But he didn't act personally. Instead, he used the power of the Clay-Clay Fruit to create a large number of Clay Dolls.
These Clay Dolls marched like an army, advancing into every corner of the Ant Nest Hell.
Seeing this, Nami also "claimed" a squad of clay soldiers from Storm.
A group of tall, imposing clay soldiers followed behind Nami.
The little cat burglar strode forward with great vigor and pride, embarking on her treasure hunt.
However, the clay soldiers controlled by Storm himself still held an overwhelming numerical advantage.
In the end, it was Storm's clay soldiers that brought back a golden treasure chest.
Sensing the scent of treasure, Nami immediately rushed over.
"A treasure chest! A real treasure chest!"
Nami's eyes sparkled brilliantly as she stared at the golden chest in Storm's hands, practically turning into the shape of Belly coins.
"Does this chest really contain 100 million Belly?"
"White Dragon-sama! The key! Open it quickly!"
"What I said earlier was that there's treasure worth at least 100 million Belly on this island."
Storm weighed the golden chest in his hands and spoke unhurriedly.
"But I never said there was money on the island."
"Not money?"
The light in Nami's eyes grew even more intense.
"Is it gold and jewels? Or antique jewelry?"
"It's something else—the legendary Great Sea Treasure."
Storm raised his right hand and placed it on the golden chest.
He didn't have a key, but that didn't matter.
The Awakening power of the Clay-Clay Fruit instantly assimilated the entire chest.
Under Storm's control,
the white clay slowly peeled away,
revealing the true contents of the treasure chest.
Its dazzling orange-yellow surface was covered in dense clusters of flame patterns, each one engraved with mysterious spiral arabesques that silently proclaimed its true name—
The Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit!
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